1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that forms an image onto a recording medium, which is conveyed by a conveying roller, by using a recording head. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel recording apparatus having a conveying path.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a recording apparatus that forms an image onto a recording medium by using a recording head, a recording medium that is fed from a sheet feeding unit is conveyed to an image forming section by a conveying roller. Then, an image is formed onto the recording medium that is conveyed through the image forming section. A recording apparatus including, as a conveying mechanism of a recording apparatus, a duplex recording conveying mechanism instead of a conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium that is supplied from the back side of the apparatus is available. The duplex recording conveying mechanism can perform duplex recording by U-turning and conveying a recording medium. In addition, a U-turn conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium from a front sheet feeding section (that supplies the recording medium from the front side of the lower portion of an apparatus) by causing the recording medium to make a U-turn is also known.
In recent years, in recording apparatuses, such as personal printers, there is a rapidly increasing demand for a multifunction printer that is provided with a copying function and a scanner function as a result of disposing a scanner at the upper portion of a main body of the apparatus. In an inkjet recording apparatus that performs a recording operation by discharging ink from a discharge port of a recording head, recording image quality is improved by increasing landing precision of an ink drop and by increasing density of ink drops as a result of forming finer ink drops. To improve recording image quality, such as a photo-print quality, recording media are being improved. In addition, to improve recording image quality and storage property (such as gas resistance), a coat layer is provided at a recording surface.
The coat layer on the recording surface is easily scratched when it comes into contact with a guide surface while the recording medium is being conveyed. Accordingly, this problem needs to be solved. In addition, for the purpose of further increasing photo-print quality, the demand for a thick photo sheet is increasing. However, since a thick photo sheet is highly rigid, its conveyance resistance when the thick photo sheet is conveyed is high. Therefore, the recording surface of the thick photo sheet tends to be more frequently scratched. Under such circumstances, the following problems need to be solved.
First, in a multifunction printer having a scanner disposed at the upper portion of a main body of the apparatus, a sheet feeding section disposed at the upper portion of the main body of the apparatus is positioned behind the scanner. Therefore, work efficiency when recording media are loaded into the sheet feeding section is reduced, thereby reducing operational performance.
Second, for improving settability of the recording media with respect to the sheet feeding section at the upper portion of the apparatus, an opening of the sheet feeding section may be widened. However, for widening the opening, the scanner needs to be moved towards the front, thereby increasing the depth of the apparatus.
To overcome the aforementioned problems, all the recording media may be fed from the front side of the main body of the apparatus to perform a front sheet feeding operation in which the recording media are reversely fed using a U-turn conveying path. However, in the U-turn sheet feeding operation, the recording surfaces (coat surfaces) of the recording media become the outer surfaces. Therefore, the recording surfaces come into contact with a conveying guide surface, and tend to be scratched. When a thick photo sheet is used, the rigidity of the sheet is further increased. As a result, the recording surface of the thick photo sheet is caused to more strongly contact the conveying guide surface, thereby making it more difficult to prevent the thick photo sheet from being scratched when the sheet is being conveyed. Accordingly, it is difficult to convey all of the recording media by the U-turn sheet feeding operation.
To overcome the aforementioned problems, the recording media may be fed in the opposite direction from an eject portion of the recording apparatus, and may be redirected before they pass through a nip portion of conveying rollers. However, in this structure, since the feeding and the ejection of the recording media are performed in the same conveying path, a mechanism that switches the conveying path is required, thereby causing the conveying mechanism to become complex. In addition, a recording medium can only be fed after completing the ejection of a preceding recording medium. Therefore, the recording media cannot be continuously conveyed. As a result, the recording time cannot be reduced.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-12158 discusses a structure that performs a front sheet feeding operation in which a recording medium is fed from below a sheet ejecting section, is conveyed to a conveying roller, and is redirected just before passing the conveying roller. However, in this structure, the recording media cannot be continuously conveyed, as a result of which recording time cannot be reduced.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-48634 discusses a structure in which a front sheet feeding operation is performed on a recording medium to a stock portion from below a location where sheet ejection is performed. However, in this structure, a conveying path, used when the recording medium is pulled in while the recording medium is redirected, extends horizontally to the back side of the main body of an apparatus. Therefore, the depth of the main body of the apparatus becomes large. In addition, a conveying path for performing duplex recording and a horizontal conveying path for conveying CDs, DVDs, or thick sheets need to be formed separately from a conveying path used after the recording medium is redirected. Therefore, the size of the entire conveying section is increased. Further, since the recording sheet is redirected in the conveying path that is provided separately from the other conveying paths, conveying mechanical sections cannot be made common, thereby complicating the structure and increasing costs.